It’s that time again – Glam Bag time! As you may have noticed, I skipped reviewing August’s bag. First of all, there was some kind of delay and I didn’t get it until almost the end of the month. I was excited for it (who doesn’t want a bag of surprise goodies delivered to their door?)…then a little perturbed but still pretty excited…then neutral…then irritated…and then it arrived. Secondly, I didn’t really care for anything in it. I got a “sneak peek” email preview with pictures of Urban Decay’s new Revolution lipstick and Smashbox’s primer and then opened my bag to find chapstick and a light mineral BB cream. Womp, womp.
September’s bag is better (although still not the best). This month’s theme is Classic Beauty and it features products central to classic, beautiful makeup looks. The bag also came with a little self-promotion from Michelle Phan (beauty blogger and one Ipsy’s founders), who is just starting a new makeup line.
Trial look card for em
This month I received Elizabeth Mott It’s So Big Volumizing Mascara, a NYX eyeshadow in Charcoal, Starlooks Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil, J. Cat Beauty Fantabulous Lipstick in Honeycrisp, and skyn Iceland Hydro-Cool Firming Eye Gels. My bag featured products that could create a nude lip and smoky eye, so I can see where it fits under the “classic beauty” category. The bag is really cute this month, although I wish the outside wasn’t made out of nylon – it looks a little cheap up close (although I suppose it technically is). My other grumble is that Ipsy sent me a “sneak peek” email featuring Butter London but, just like with last month, I didn’t receive that product. I understand that each bag is different and customized, but listen Ipsy – don’t send me a teaser email for a product I’d love to have and then not send it to me. If it’s a mass email to everyone, maybe you should only do that with products that everyone will receive, like the Zoya polishes you sent out in the spring.
The first items I pulled out of my bag were the eye gels by skyn Iceland. I received two pairs and was actually excited to see these in my bag because I am currently trying to take really good care of my under eye area. The skin around your eyes is so sensitive and can age quickly; although I’m young, it’s never too early to take good care of your skin!
I haven’t tried these eye gels yet. I’m saving them for a rough day at work with my 11 year olds so that I can come home, kick back, and pamper myself. Here is how this product works – “In just ten minutes, this cooling transdermal gel patch infuses the eye area with concentrated doses of soothing ingredients to firm, tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Peptides and botanicals improve blood flow and reduce puffiness while advanced antioxidants help prevent future damage.” The website has some crazy before/after photos and the product has good reviews, so I am happy that these were one of my selected products. skyn Iceland eye gels retail for $30/8 pairs and I got 2 pairs, so this part of my bag is valued at $7.50.
The next thing in my bag is J. Cat Beauty’s Fantabulous Lipstick in Honeycrisp.
I groaned a little when I saw this in my bag, and not in a good way. First of all, I don’t like J. Cat Beauty. The products are cheap and the last J. Cat product that Ipsy sent me was a horrendous glitter cream palette that scratched the skin and was better suited to a 5 year old than a 24 year old. Second, the color peeking through the tube at me did not look like anything I’d ever reach for on the shelf.
It actually wasn’t as horrendous as I was anticipating, although I stand by my “J. Cat Beauty is a cheap brand” statement. The lipstick glides on, has a slightly sweet smell and creamy texture, and needs a few coats for even, opaque coverage. It’s hard to see on my hand, but it’s more of a natural nude on than it looks in the tube. It’s so nude, in fact, that my lips largely disappeared into my skin when I wore it. I tried taking a picture of this lipstick on but nothing looked quite right because you couldn’t really see my lips. Wear time is okay; I may wear this here and there when I wear a really bold eye and need a neutral lip to balance it out. J. Cat Fantabulous lipsticks come in 48 different shades and retail for $2.49.
Next up is Elizabeth Mott’s It’s So Big Volumizing Mascara. I don’t like opening mascaras until I need them because once you open a mascara and expose it to the air, you’ve introduced the product to bacteria. Once the wand has had that exposure and goes back into the tube, bacteria can easily grow because it’s living in a dark, moist environment. I don’t want that bacteria just hanging out for months until I happen to come back to that mascara; hello eye issues! With that in mind, I haven’t opened my It’s So Big (snicker) mascara yet.
This mascara is meant to lengthen and curl lashes without smudging and deliver the perfect amount of product to each lash because of the hourglass-shaped brush. Word on the street is that this mascara is nice for natural but noticeable lashes, although it won’t give you the volume needed for “Wow!” lashes. Users also report that it does hold a curl very well. It’s So Big! in full size is 10ml/$20; my sample is 4 ml, so I’d value it at about $8.
My bag also featured a NYX single eyeshadow in Charcoal. I’m kind of “eh” about NYX. They’re not bad products for the price, I just don’t love them. They’re nice but don’t knock my socks off, if you know what I mean.
I was pleasantly surprised by this eye shadow! I am a little hesitant to wear black or gray as eye shadow, but this charcoal shade was a light, buildable gray. It was pretty soft and easy to blend. Do I absolutely love it? No. Do I like it? Yes. Will I wear it? Sure! NYX single eye shadows are available in 50 shades in a variety of finishes and retail for $4.50 each.
Last but not least is the Kohl Eye Pencil by Starlooks in Obsidian. Starlooks has this to say about their product: “Dramatically emphasize your eyes with Starlooks’ intensely-pigmented Kohl Eye pencils! These ultra-soft liners glide across delicate lids without pulling. Try a smokey effect by blending outwards with a fluffy brush!”
This pencil stuttered and pulled a little as I first applied it but glided smoothly after the pencil had warmed up a bit against my skin. It gave a dark, even coverage and built up nicely. The liner is smudgeable when first applied and didn’t move on me after it had set; in fact, the swatch didn’t completely come off of my hand with soap. The only downside for me was that the wooden part of the pencil scratched me a little bit, just like my Starlooks lip liner. Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencils retail for $12.
In total, September’s Ipsy bag comes in at $34.49 in value – I definitely got more than I paid for this month! I like this month’s products. The eye liner and eye gels were my favorite things in the bag; I’m pretty impartial regarding the rest. I signed up for Ipsy to try new products and be introduced to new brands, but lately I’ve been receiving a lot of Starlooks, J. Cat, and Chella beauty products. I don’t like J. Cat and while the other two are nice, I would also like to receive a range of brands. Fingers crossed for October’s bag!
Wayfaring Beauty 